And so, the New Year has arrived.
After accompanying Rice on her trip home, I relaxed in the Noboribetsu hot springs, enjoyed a massage chair just enough to not get sore, and indulged in delicious food and sake.
Then, at Rice's continuous urging, I toured Noboribetsu with her. With my body and mind completely refreshed, I returned to Tracen Academy with Rice.
"Yay! Trainer, Happy New Year!"
"Oof... U-Urara? What's wrong, so early in the new year?"
Not only me, but Urara and King also showed up at the clubroom. Just as I was thinking about our first training session of the year, Urara tackled me head-on. No, should I say she hugged me?
"Hehe... It's because I haven't seen you in a while!"
Urara said, rubbing her face against me. King gave a wry smile at Urara's actions.
"Happy New Year, Trainer. And to you too, Urara-san, Rice-senpai."
"Yeah! Happy New Year, King-chan!"
"Happy New Year, King-chan."
King looked at Urara and Rice's faces and, for some reason, shrugged her shoulders.
"Urara-san aside... Rice-senpai, you didn't have any of that either."
"Wha-What are you talking about?"
"You're slurring your words."
The way King spoke was... a little more mature, I guess? And Urara, I'm happy to see you too, but please stop hugging me with all your might. My ribs are creaking. Also, your chest is pressing against me. That's not very lady-like, is it?
"What about you, King? It's only been a few days since I last saw you, but you look more mature."
"...I just learned that there are some things in this world that you're better off not knowing."
"Oh, I see..."
She didn't seem to want to talk about it. I coughed to clear my throat and gently pulled Urara away from me, who was looking off into the distance.
"Alright... Once again, Happy New Year. We're starting our team activities again, but... Urara, why are you clinging to me so much?"
I was about to talk about our future plans, but Urara, who I had just pulled away from me, hugged me again. What? What is this? Do you want me to spoil you?
"Hmm... Trainer is like a dad, but he's still different from my dad. Squeeze."
"Well, I'm not your dad... Oh well, I guess I have no choice."
I lifted Urara up and sat down on the sofa. I sat her on my lap, and Urara leaned her back against me, looking satisfied. She's being so spoiled after not seeing me for only a few days... But I can't help but let her. She's just too cute.
"Anyway, let's talk about our future plans... So, Urara? You're going to listen quietly, okay?"
"Yeah! Hehe... I spoiled myself a lot with my mom and dad, so now it's time to spoil myself with Trainer."
"Urara... You're such a handful. Only for today, okay?"
It seems she spoiled herself a lot with her parents during her trip home. And now she wants to be spoiled by me. I hugged Urara from behind while sitting down, and Urara relaxed her entire body, leaning against me.
Since I had no choice, I left Urara as she was and looked at Rice and King, who were sitting on the sofa across from me.
"First, Rice. Until your injury is completely healed, you're to continue taking it easy as before. However, I'd be happy if you could help me with a few things."
"Okay... I understand, onii-sama."
Rice said, staring at me... or rather, at Urara, who was spoiling herself with me. She had been so spoiled with me during our trip home, but she was looking at Urara with a hint of envy.
"King, have you recovered from last year's fatigue? If so, which race are we going to run next..."
If we're sticking to G1s, it's either the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in late March or the Osaka Hai. The Takamatsunomiya Kinen is a 1,200-meter sprint, and the Osaka Hai is a 2,000-meter middle-distance race.
"Hmm... If I'm going to run, it has to be the Osaka Hai."
"Yeah... You've already won a sprint G1, and the Osaka Hai is the first race if you're aiming for the Spring Senior Triple Crown. The distance of 2,000 meters is also easy for you to aim for... But a lot of strong rivals will be running there, you know?"
She might even clash with Tokai Teio. Even if she doesn't, other members of the Golden Generation who have also become seniors will likely be there.
But King was unwavering. She looked at me intently and laughed softly.
"I welcome it... Don't you?"
"...Yeah, you're right."
The Takamatsunomiya Kinen would be easier to win. There aren't many horse girls who can beat King in a sprint race, even in a G1. Besides, most of the top horse girls will probably go for the Osaka Hai.
"In that case, are you going to aim for the Spring Senior Triple Crown, King?"
Starting with the 2,000-meter middle-distance Osaka Hai, followed by the 3,200-meter long-distance Tenno Sho (Spring), and the 2,200-meter middle-distance Takarazuka Kinen, she is guaranteed to clash with strong horse girls. Moreover, even Rice couldn't achieve the Spring Senior Triple Crown. If we're going to aim for it, it depends on how much we can train King by spring.
(It's a shame about Rice's injury... King has improved a lot from running with Rice...)
I thought so, but there's no use complaining. I have to train King with the cards I've been dealt and make her win.
"Finally, for Urara... The first race we should aim for is the February Stakes in late February."
The February Stakes, a 1,600-meter dirt G1 mile race. Urara can definitely run in it, but winning is another matter.
And honestly, it's a real pain that there are so few G1 dirt races. It makes me want to cry every time I remember.
There are only four G1 races for seniors: the February Stakes in late February, the Teio Sho in late June, one of the JBC Series in early November, and the Champions Cup or Tokyo Daishoten in December... It's four races, or five if she runs in both of the December races.
"Even if it's just G1s, there are four or five races. We can add some G2, G3, or open races in between... Yeah, I think our immediate goal is the February Stakes. What do you want to do, Urara?"
When I asked, Urara rubbed the back of her head against my chest, looking up at me.
"Hmm... The February Stakes, I guess."
"I knew it... In that case, your rivals will be Smart Falcon, Taiki Shuttle, and El Condor Pasa."
No, Tojo-san said El Condor Pasa might go overseas. She won the Tokyo Daishoten in late December, so it's not impossible.
And if she goes overseas, what will Smart Falcon do? She won the Champions Cup, so will she run in the Saudi Cup?
We have a month and a half until the February Stakes. Should I see it as a lot of time, or not enough time?
She lost the 1,800-meter Champions Cup, but the 1,600-meter February Stakes is the same distance as the Unicorn Stakes, which Urara won against Smart Falcon.
(That's if Smart Falcon was really running her best... And she's grown since then.)
Also, if Taiki Shuttle shows up, it'll be a tough race, and more and more horse girls who specialize in dirt are growing up. When it comes to dirt, I can't see any of them as "promising" horse girls; they're all strong rivals.
If King is going for the Spring Senior Triple Crown, the race intervals will be short, so maybe she doesn't need to run a race before the Osaka Hai... but a lot of time has passed since the Mile Championship, so maybe I should have her run one race before the Osaka Hai.
(We could aim for 1st place in the G2 Nakayama Kinen or the Kinshachi Stakes... but with King's prize money, she can definitely run in the Osaka Hai, so maybe I should have her run in an easier race...)
The Nakayama Kinen and the Kinshachi Stakes are both G2s, so some strong horse girls will probably be there. It wouldn't be surprising if a few of the Golden Generation members show up.
So I could either have her clash with them or run in a race that's easier to win. If she runs in the G3 Diamond Stakes and wins, and then wins the Osaka Hai, she can first achieve the goal of winning all stakes races at all distances...
(I've set a big goal, so I guess I'll decide as we go, depending on how training goes.)
The number of dirt races for Urara is so small that I have to plan her schedule strictly, but there are many races for turf seniors. So it wasn't too late to decide after confirming King's condition had fully returned.
"Alright... Urara, our immediate goal is the February Stakes. King, our immediate goal is the Osaka Hai. Whether you run in any other races before that depends on your condition. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Yes."
Urara replied with a cheerful voice on my lap, Rice replied with a quiet voice, and King, who was unusually getting into it, was smiling with a hint of amusement.
And so, Team Kitarufa's new year of activities began.
(Hmm... I'm in a bit of a pickle...)
And then, I stumbled right away. No, it's not a stumble, but I'm facing a difficult situation.
It's been about two weeks since the new year began, and things have returned to normal after the holidays.
(I didn't realize Rice's presence was so big...)
In a way, it was an obvious situation, but Rice's departure from training due to her injury, where she had been training King, was a huge blow.
After our afternoon training session, I laid Rice down on the sofa bed in the clubroom, and I was frowning as I checked her legs and hips.
Training with Rice, who was clearly a better runner, was very effective for King, especially because of King's strong will to win. Of course, King wouldn't slack off on her training even without Rice, but having a constant rival to compete against is a huge factor.
So now I'm having her run with Urara, but it's difficult to efficiently train her stamina, let alone her speed.
Having Urara run with King on the turf course, or having King run with Urara on the dirt course. By doing this, they can both train against a superior opponent, and competing with each other is certainly a good stimulus.
However, it's not enough for the middle-distance and long-distance races King plans to run. Of course, there's great value in training her speed, but it's not suitable for practicing for long distances.
Urara also tries to keep up with King in middle-distance races, but long-distance races are tough for her, even on dirt. So I've incorporated training menus to train King's stamina without Rice, but the effect seems to be less than before.
While I was thinking about that, I continued to thoroughly check the legs and hips of Rice, who was lying face down on the sofa bed.
Of course, I can't check if the bones in her left foot are connected. I have to rely on a hospital examination for that, but Rice's expression is getting brighter, so it seems it doesn't hurt as much when she walks.
However, due to the inability to train for a long time, Rice's leg and hip muscles are starting to weaken. I have her walk every day to an extent that doesn't hurt her left foot, but her muscle strength is still decreasing compared to when she was running for hours every day.
"Mm... Onii-sama, how is Rice's body...?"
"You're slurring your words."
Rice asked, her voice trembling as she was being tickled. Then, King's voice, who was changing clothes, came from behind the screen.
"Oh... It's not as bad as I thought. Losing muscle is unavoidable, but the fatigue that had built up is also leaving her body... I'm going to touch your left foot, can you bear it?"
"It's fine... Rice will endure any pain for onii-sama..."
"You're slurring your words."
King's voice came again. Right now, she's changing, so it's understandable, but King is always around when I'm checking Rice's legs and hips, even after training. Is King also curious about how to deal with injuries?
Well, about Rice's injury... Yeah, the swelling has gone down, and I don't see any internal bleeding. It seems to hurt when I touch it directly, but it's healing well.
But it will still take a long time, even if it heals well. When she recovers to a level where she can exercise a little without pain, I'll have her swim in the pool to prevent her physical ability from declining.
For now, her muscle strength is decreasing, but the fatigue that had built up in her body is also leaving, so it's a trade-off. I was careful to prevent her from getting fatigued, but no matter how careful I was, training every day would inevitably lead to fatigue.
I would lighten her training menu and give her time off to prevent injuries, but I had never let Rice rest for such a long time without any solo or light training.
Since the fatigue that had built up over the years is leaving, a long-term rest isn't all bad. She won't lose the experience she has gained from racing, and even if her muscle strength decreases, I've established a training method that suits Rice, so I believe it's possible to train her to the same level as before, even if it takes some time.
Well, it's all just wishful thinking. It's all about what happens after Rice has completely healed, and if I make a wrong move, she could break another bone and have to rest for a long time again.
I wrote down the data I checked in my notebook and then typed it into my computer. Since she hasn't run yet, it's just a guess for now, but I need to keep a record of how much her muscle strength has decreased and how much it affects her speed and stamina.
As I was working on my computer, a pop-up appeared, telling me I had a new email. I immediately checked it, and it was a newsletter from a news site about horse girl races.
It's a news site that mainly covers news about horse girls running in stakes races, and I also get newsletters from various other news sites. Sometimes I get newsletters about horse girl merchandise releases, but... I'm already in contact with the manufacturer about our girls' merchandise, and it's going to be released in a few days. I don't need to worry about it now... Hmm?
"A special feature on overseas G1s..."
I read the contents of the email and muttered. There are nearly 2,000 horse girls at Tracen Academy, and even if we work in the same academy, I usually don't find out who is running in which race until the entry list is announced.
Sometimes I learn about things for the first time through these newsletters, so checking them is a must, but...
"Seriously... So that's what's going on..."
I was reading the newsletter during a short break and couldn't help but mutter.
The news was that Smart Falcon had announced her entry into the Saudi Cup.
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